ARCHIVED: The Canadian Wheat Board under attack...
Why YOU should care...

Wendy R. Holm, P.Ag.

HELP STOP THE MURDER OF THE CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD

As an Agrologist, I believe this to be an urgent public policy priority for Canada. Wrapping their actions in words like "marketing choice" and "freedom to choose", the Government of Canada has said it will act in contravention of the Canadian Wheat Board Act to destroy the single desk selling authority of the Board, transferring $800 million a year from the pockets of Canadian farmers and rural communities to large transnational grain companies and their shareholders.

This fall, in the face of public and farmer opposition to the dismantling of the CWB, the Government stripped 16,000+ farmers of their voting rights and muzzled the CWB Board of Directors.

It is time for Canadians to come together in support of our farmers. Section 47.1 of the CWB Act says no Minister may amend the Act to change the marketing system for wheat and barley without a producer plebscite in support of same. Any changes to the marketing of grains covered by the CWB MUST FIRST BE APPROVED by farmer vote.

The wording of the question must be fair (determined by farmers, not bureaucrats; agreed to by CWB), and prior to any such vote, the 16,000+ prairie grain farmers who had their right to vote in CWB elections taken away by Order in Council in October 2006 must first be restored to the voters list.

What is the Canadian Wheat Board?
The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) is a farmer-controlled organization that markets wheat and barley grown by western Canadian producers. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the CWB is the largest single seller of wheat and barley in the world, holding more than 20 per cent of the international market.

As every respected farm economist who has studied it has affirmed, the Canadian Wheat Board is a well-designed and sustainable policy mechanism that delivers price equity to Canadian grain growers - equity that amounts to over $800 million a year in benefits to Prairie communities.It is also overwhelmingly supported by Canada's grain growers.

BILL C-300
This fall, Bill C-300, An Act to Amend the Canadian Wheat Board Act, will come before the House of Commons for Second Reading. Under the banner of “freedom of choice”, this Bill, if passed, will destroy the one desk selling structure of the Canadian Wheat Board, the only thing standing between prairie grain farmers and the market power of the highly concentrated transnational grain sector.

American grain interests have been gunning for the CWB for over 20 years. Canada has won every trade challenge. We should be touting the CWB model for farmers in other countries to emulate. Instead, Bill C-300 would wipe it off the table, and with it, the future of Canadian agriculture.

Seemingly innocuous, Bill C-300 purports to simply offer growers “choice” in the marketing of their wheat. When introduced in the House, it will be couched in terms such as “grower choice” and “support for bio-fuels development”. Make no mistake. Bill C-300 will destroy the single desk selling authority of the Canadian Wheat Board, opening the door to take-over of Canada's grain sector by powerful, transnational grain conglomerates.

What this is and isn't about.
This issue is not about debating the merits of the CWB. Surely we must be able to agree that farmers in a given commodity sector know what is working best for their sector.

The Canadian Wheat Board has withstood challenges under both the WTO and NAFTA and has emerged intact. Despite this, Ottawa is poised to destroy it, placing Canada’s grain sector in the hands of US based transnationals...

Ottawa is prepared to act in contravention of CWB Act
Section 47.1 of the Canadian Wheat Board Act expressly forbids the Minister to change the act without a prior referendum in support of such changes by the growers.

Chuck Strahl and his new government says that doesn't matter. It does to farmers. It does to this Agrologist.

Implications for Supply Management
If this can happen to the Canadian Wheat Board, it can happen to supply management.

Destroying the independence and sustainability of Canada’s grain, dairy, poultry and egg farmers will destroy the fabric of Canada's farm sector, and with it all hope of food security and food sovereignty.

HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1. Send an email to your MP** telling them you support the rights of western Canada's grain farmers to uphold the market protection afforded by the Canadian Wheat Board's single desk sales authority, and refer them to this web site.

Its time for the farm community to stand together, flex a few muscles and tell these newcomers in Ottawa that a government that doesn’t respect the rights of Canada’s farmers does not have the support of Canada’s communities. Call your MP. Demand respect for farmers. This is the hill to take or die on. It is about Canada.